The Whisper Canyon Chronicles: Part I
by IAMJerry262
Summary: The inhabitants of Metru Nui enter a second civil war during the Time Slip and they split into the Fire and Ice factions. But after several weeks of no fighting, the Matoran actually start to learn  about "why they're there." PLEASE R&R!  RvB Mash Up.
1. Chapter 1: Why Are We Here?

Fire Versus Ice:

The Whisper Canyon Chronicles

A Fan Fiction By Alec Marshall

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story. This is by no means a satire on either of the respective original stories, I just got really bored one day.

Chapter One

Why Are We Here?

Metru Nui was no stranger to civil war. It had been a few years after the Great Matoran civil war, but tensions were still high among the Matoran of the Great City. So when Makuta Teridax, their new leader, told the Ta-Matoran of the Ko-Matoran's plot to gain back lost territory during the war near their mines in Onu-Metru, it was only a matter of time before new sides were drawn, and the Matoran were back on the front lines. Now they were divided into the two main elements of fire and ice. This stemmed from the two original groups that started the war, but not all of the Matoran were ready for another full scale, intercity conflict. Some stayed neutral, while others became arms for hire. Still more betrayed their Metru's to fight for whom they thought were the true victims in the situation. But of all the stories, the battles, and all the platoons in the two Matoran armies, one set of warring factions in particular became the most intriguing, and influential in all the war. Their battle was for a simple canyon, which contained only two bases. The Fire army of Ta, Po and Onu-Metru built one, and another was constructed for the Ice army of Ko, Le and Ga-Metru. This site would become known as the Canyon of Unending Whispers. The conflict would go down in history as the Whisper Canyon Chronicles. These are those soldiers' stories.

It was four months after the start of the Second Matoran Civil War. Jala was standing guard on top of the local Fire Army's base with his partner Nuhrii. Jala wore yellow armor, with a replica of a great Hau on his face. Nuhrii was maroon color from his feet to his Noble Ruru replica Kanohi. The air was dry, the sun was scorching, and above all, Jala was stuck with Nuhrii, who was about biggest suck up in the entire war. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Nuhrii spoke to him.

"Hey," he said, turning to face Jala.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"That's one of life's great mysterious, isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a Great Spirit and Great Beings, watching everything, you know? With a plan for us and stuff? I don't know brother, but it keeps me up at night."

"What? I mean why are we out _here?_ In this canyon?

"Oh! Uh…yeah…" said Jala, trying to sound like he knew what Nuhrii had been talking about all along.

"And what was all that stuff about Mata Nui?"

"Ah, nothing."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously though, why are we here? As far as I can tell, this is just a semi-boxed in canyon in the middle of Po-Metru with only two ways in or out, and that's behind our bases. And the only reason we have Fire base here, is because they have an Ice base there, and the only reason they have a Ice base there, is because we have an Fire base here."

"That's because we're fighting each other, Akilini-Head," said Jala. He was starting to get annoyed already.

"But still, if we were to pull out today, and they were to come in here and take our base, they would have two bases in the middle of a semi-boxed in canyon. Whooptidoo."

"What's up with that any way? I signed up to fight some wild Rahi and crazy Po-Matoran, but next thing I know, Makuta Teridax comes in a kills everything and everyone, and I am stuck here fighting a bunch of blue, green and white guys over some stupid plot of land. Talk about a waste of resources. I mean, we should be finding new and dangerous forms of Rahi and fight them."

"You're right. That's why they should put us in charge," said Nuhrii.

* * *

It was a hot, summer's day in Po-Metru and the Ice Army was spying on the Fire army. The Ice Army had set up their base first, but by the next day, the Fire army was there, with a fully operation base and a platoon of soldiers ready to fight them. Because they were under direct orders not to attack unless attacked, the Ice army spent most of their days scouting. A light blue, Great Pakari replica wearing Matoran named Takua, (who had transferred over to being a Ko-Matoran because he felt sympathetic with the them and had even undergone reconstruction to become various shades of light blue, to match the Ice army's general color scheme) was scouting with a Le-Matoran named Kongu, who wore a teal Kanohi Great Miru replica. The two had perched themselves on the ledge and Takua was using his upgraded disk launcher to spy on them while Kongu acted as a look out.

"What are they doing?' he asked suddenly.

"What?" asked Takua in disbelief of what he was hearing.

"I said, 'What are they doing now?'"

"Mata Nui curse you! I am getting so sick of answering that question!"

"Hey you got the sniper launcher! I can't see Rahi droppings! Don't sit and yell at me because I am not going to sit up here and clean my Kanohi all day!"

"Okay look; they are just standing there and talking, okay? That's all they're doing. That's all they ever do is just stand there and talk. That's what they were doing last week. That's what they were doing when you asked me five minutes ago. So five minutes from now, when you ask me, 'What are they doing?' my answer is going to be they are still just talking and they are still just standing there."

Kongu paused and look around for signs of incoming enemies, but seeing nothing return to their conversation. "Well what are they talking about?"

"You know what? I hate you." Returning to his view through his disk launchers scope, he could see something different now. A third Matoran, this one in all red and wearing a specially designed Kanohi approached them. _Well what do you know? Thing may finally get interesting around here after all. _

* * *

___Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste the link after the .com in the URL._ /watch?v=9BAM9fgV-ts  



	2. Chapter 2: Fire Gets a Delievery

Chapter Two

Fire Gets a Delivery

"Ga-Matoran! Front and center on the double!" Jala and Nuhrii jumped at their sergeant's commands and hurried down off of their base to stand at attention. "Hurry up! This ain't no pick-up game of street Akilini!"

"Pick-up game of street Akilini?" whispered Nuhrii to Jala.

"Stop talking you two! Anyone want to guess why I gathered you here today?"

"Is it because the war's over and you're sending us home?" asked Jala.

"That's exactly it private. War's over. We won! Turns out you're the big hero and we are going to hold a parade in your honor. I get to drive the float, and Nuhrii here is in charge of confetti!"

"I'm no stranger to sarcasm, sir."

"Mata Nui curse you, private! Shut your mouth or else I'll have Nuhrii steal your mask while you're asleep!"

"Oh, I'd do it too!" said Nuhrii with glee.

"I know you would, Nuhrii," said their sergeant. "You're a good brother. Couple of things today, Ga-Matoran. Command has seen fit to increase our ranks here at Whisper Canyon Outpost Number One."

"Curses…we're getting a rookie," said Jala.

"That's right Rahi-bones. Our new recruit will be here within the week, but today, we received the first part of our shipments from command." He turned around and called out to the hill behind them. "Zadakh, bring up the vehicle." The two Matoran watched as their Vahki and mechanic, Zadakh, came over the hill in a large, ground transport vehicle of some kind. It had an open cockpit and a large disk launcher attached in the bed. The most striking feature of the vehicle was a large hook on the front that seemed to indicate it could be use for towing or getting other vehicles out of sticky situations.

"Shotgun!" said Nuhrii.

"Shotgun! Curses!" said Jala.

"May I introduce our LEP Reconnaissance vehicle? It has armor plating, a suspension system, mounted automatic Rhotuka Spinner launcher position, and total seating for three. Gentlemen, this is the M12LRV. I like to call it the Vako."

"Why Vako sir?" asked Nuhrii.

"Because 'M12LRV' is too hard to say in conversation, brother."

"No, but…why Vako? It looks nothing like a big horned Rahi," said Jala.

"Say that again," demanded the sergeant.

"I think it looks more like a Muaka."

"What in Ta-Metru is a Muaka?"

"You mean like the mask company?" asked Nuhrii.

"No, like a Muaka. It's a big cat, like a Rock Lion," said Jala.

"You're making that up," stated the sergeant bluntly.

"I'm telling you! It's a real Rahi!"

"Nuhrii, I want you to poison Jala's next shipment of disks."

"Yes sir!" said Nuhrii with gusto.

"Look…see this big hook here? It looks like a horn. Now what kind of Rahi has a horn?"

"A Kikanalo," said Jala flatly.

"Didn't I just tell you to stop making up Rahi?"

* * *

Takua and Kongu were still spying on the Fire army in the hot afternoon sun when a Matoran in all red armor came into view. The two Matoran watched them talk for several moments and Takua was about to leave when suddenly a large vehicle came up over the hill and parked in front of the base.

"Whoa! What is that thing?" asked Kongu.

"I don't know, Kongu. It looks like some kind of ground vehicle down there. We better get back to base and report it," said Takua, stowing his disk launcher.

"Wait! A ground transport? How come they get a ground transport?"

"What are you complaining about? We are about to get a tank, based off a Nui-Jaga, in the very next drop."

"You can't pick up Ga-Matoran in a tank," sighed Kongu.

"Oh you know what? You could complain about anything, couldn't you? We are about to get a tank, and you're worried about Ga-Matoran. What Ga-Matoran are you going to pick up? And secondly, how are you going to pick them up in vehicle that looks like that?"

"Well, what kind of vehicle is it?"

"I don't know. I've never seen a ground transport like that," Said Takua, looking at the vehicle through his disk launcher's scope. "It looks like…some kind of cat Rahi," said Takua, using his disk launcher to get a better look.

"Like a Muaka?" suggested Kongu.

"Yeah, there you go."

* * *

"So unless anyone has anymore mythical creatures to suggest as a name for the new vehicle, we are going to stick with…the Vako. How about it Jala?"

"No sir. No more suggestions," sighed Jala.

"Are you sure? How about Keetongu?"

"It's okay," said Jala, sounding more and defeated.

"Kanohi Dragon?"

"No…no really, I'm fine…"

"Mana-Ko?"

"Great Temple Squid?" said Nuhrii.

"Hey, he doesn't need any help," snapped Jala.

"Rahi Nui?"

Jala let out a long sigh as he tried to ignore the rest of Vakama's comments.

"Hey Nuhrii, what the name of that bug that eats your muscle?"

"That would be the Dust Darter, sir."

"Hey Jala? Darter thingy? How about that? I like it. It's got a ring to it."

After several more belittling jokes, the sergeant left them for the day. Jala and Nuhrii continued on their watch until the early evening, and then heading inside their base for the night. Seeing the Fire army turn to their bunks, the Takua and Kongu went back to base to prepare for their shipment the next day. As the sun began to set, the soldiers turned in for the night. Little did they know, that even as they slept, and the wheels of destiny were already turning in all of their lives and tomorrow was going to be a big day, and the day the battle for Whisper Canyon would finally begin.

* * *

_Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste this link after .com in the URL. /watch?v=7sx_3m-FhAI  
_


	3. Chapter 3: The Rookies

Chapter Three

The Rookies

The sun above Metru Nui blazed as the Fire Army stood at their lookout spots. It had been three days since Command had sent them their new vehicle, the Vako, and now the Fire troops were "eagerly" awaiting the arrival of their new teammate. Today, Jala and Nuhrii were talking about a previous battle they had been in together during the first Civil War that the Matoran had fought.

"Well, that's not exactly what happened," said Nuhrii.

"Yes it is! You said 'I'm not going to Le-Metru,' and then next thing I know you hitch a chute and…"

"Excuse me sirs?"

Nuhrii and Jala turned to see a Matoran, dressed head to toe in tan armor, including his Hau replica mask. He carried a simple disk launcher.

"Sirs?" asked Nuhrii.

"Ah curses," said Jala.

"I was told to report to Whisper Canyon Outpost Number One and speak to whoever's in charge," said the tan Matoran.

"Sorry brother, Vakama is at Command getting orders. Ain't nobody in charge today."

"Actually private, he left me in charge while he's gone," said Nuhrii.

"You are such a kiss-mask," said Jala.

"Also, he told me if I had any trouble from you, I should," Nuhrii paused to clear his throat. "'Get in the Vako and crush your head like a Bula Berry.'"

"That's the worst impression I've ever heard…"

"Okay rookie, what's your story?" asked Nuhrii, returning his attention to the new Matoran.

"Private Hafu reporting for duty, sir! I'm ready to fight some Ko-Matoran."

"Couple of things here, rookie," said Jala. "First off, Private Hafu? I think someone needs a new nickname. Secondly, what's with the Kanohi?"

"This is the standard issue Hau," said Hafu.

"Yeah, I know. Listen, only two types of Matoran wear standard issue Kanohi. Officers and recruits. And since you're not threatening to gut me like a Razorfish, you're probably not an officer."

"Well, you're wearing a standard issue Hau."

"No, I'm wearing a _yellow_ Hau. It's not a typical secondary Ta-Metru color. It's different," said Jala bluntly.

"Well, how do I get a different mask?"

"I bet the Ko-Matoran don't have to put up with this nonsense…" mumbled Nuhrii.

* * *

Takua smiled as he looked at the Ice Army's newest vehicle. The tank was an impressive sight. The tank was twice as large as the Fire Army's ground transport, and its massive Cordak Blaster mount could easily blow apart the entire base. The new recruit was a pretty typical solider. He wore a white, noble Mahiki-styled Kanohi and his main armor color was white. He was equipped with a standard disk launcher. Takua was slowly getting more annoyed by the second as the new recruit spoke. He had not stopped talking since the ship had put him down, and seemed to have almost no patience or respect when it came to rank.

"So I said to the guy, 'How are you going to get the tank down into the canyon?' and he goes 'I'll just put it on the airship,' and I go 'If you have a airship that can carry a tank, why not just put disk launchers on the ship and use it instead?'"

"Hey Ehrye," said Kongu.

"Yeah?" he answered excitedly.

"You're ruining the moment. Shut up."

"Oh…okay. You got it, brother," said Ehrye awkwardly.

Takua continued to stare at the tank. It was truly a masterpiece of Le-Matoran ingenuity and Po-Matoran craftsmanship. In all, it had four large treads that would allow the vehicle to not only travel at high speeds, but also take 90-degree turns. Its thick armor plating was designed to not only protect the Matoran inside, but also defuse any special powers the disks might have that would otherwise disable, shrink or teleport the tank. Finally, the large, 360 degree spinning cockpit came equipped with a rapid firing Rhotuka Launcher and Cordak Blaster, which automatically reloaded and could fire a single round every four seconds.

"You know what? I could blow up the entire city with this thing…" he said, imagining himself driving the tank from Metru to Metru, taking out all hostile opponents to bring and end to the war.

"You know what, forget what I said before," said Kongu, now turned to Takua. "We can definitely pick up water-sisters in this thing. Probably two, three sisters a piece!"

"Oh brother, listen to you. What are you going to do with two Ga-Matoran?"

"Brother, water-sisters are like Toa Kaita: The more you can hook up, the better it gets."

* * *

As the midday sun started to beat down on the two Ta-Matoran, they were still trying to figure out what Hafu could do until Vakama got back. They could not have him just stand around with them; that would drive them insane. Also, they could not give the rookie any real orders, as their orders from command had not yet come in for the week. Suddenly, Nuhrii got an idea.

"Okay, Private Hafu, here's the deal..."

"I just refuse to call him Private Hafu!" said Jala. Nuhrii ignored him, and continued speaking the rookie, who was at full attention.

"We've got a very important mission for you. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Absolutely!" he said. _Mata Nui, this guy _is_ dumber than he sounds, _thought Nuhrii.

"We need you to go the trading post, and get two quarts of elbow grease."

"Yeah, and uh…pick up some headlight fluid for the Muaka, too," said Jala, catching on to Nuhrii's plan.

"The what?" asked Hafu.

"He means the Vako," said Nuhrii.

"You do know when the trading post is, right rookie?" asked Jala, leaning toward Hafu, and looking out the top of his Kanohi's eye slits.

"What?" said Hafu, obviously flustered. "Yeah…yeah! Of course I do! Sure. No problem!" he finished, gaining false confidence with each word.

"Well, get going then!" said Nuhrii, pointing away from the base. Hafu took off at a dead sprint. Jala shouted after him.

"Other way!"

"I knew that! Just got turned around! That's all!" he called back, and did a full 180-degree turn and began to run away from the base.

"How long until you think he figures out there is no trading post, or that we did not give him any widgets to buy anything?" ask Nuhrii, chuckling slightly.

"I'd say…" said Jala, counting off on his fingers. "At least a week."

"You think that we were too mean to our brother?" asked Nuhrii, staring out as Hafu ran towards one of the cliffs.

"Naw," said Jala, waving his hand. "He'll just wander out on the cliffs for a few hours. What's the worst that could happen?"

When he was sure he was far enough away, Hafu stopped and look back at the base with disgust.

"Elbow grease? How stupid to they think I am? Once I get back to the base with that headlight fluid, I am going to talk to the sergeant." Invigorated with his new frustration, Hafu powered it into his legs and took off into the cliffs. After several minutes, he could see another structure on the horizon. _That must the trading post!_ He thought eagerly, and took off at a sprint. As he neared, his excited boiled over and he suddenly exclaimed "Finally! There it is! Oh sweet! They sell tanks!" As Hafu neared the building, he could have never imagined that he was walking into not only enemy territory, but the enemy's very base.

* * *

_Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste the link after the .com in the URL. /watch?v=Vfy08JSPjhU_


	4. Chapter 4: Head Akilini Head in Charge

Chapter Four

Head Akilini-Head in Charge

Takua continued to marvel at the tank they had just received in their latest shipment. It filled him with so much enthusiasm; he could feel it spilling over into his conversation. Even Kongu's endless jokes about picking up Ga-Matoran were making him chuckle, but he soon realized what he was doing. Kongu knew nothing about love or dating. His idea of a date was going to a club, getting as many girls to follow him home and then spending the whole night up with them bragging about how awesome of an Akilini player he was. To be honest, Kongu's comments often offended Takua more than they had made him laugh. Ga-Matoran deserved respect, especially since they were out numbered five to one on the island and were probably the greatest victim of the war. After mentioning how Ga-Matoran were like Toa Kaita, Takua had to speak up, but was careful about how he went about showing his displeasure.

"Yeah, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've actually got a girl back home."

"Oh yeah?" asked Kongu. "Sister-friend or sister-mate?"

"No brother, she's just my sister-friend. We were going to be united but…I got shipped out and…ah, you know how it works."

"Oh…well, you going to be united when you get back?" asked Kongu.

Before Takua could answer, Ehrye suddenly interrupted.

"I'm not going to get united. My teacher always said "Why buy the Mahi when you can get the milk for free?'"

"Hey private," said Takua, stepping forward. "Did you just call my sister-friend a Mahi?"

"No, I think he called her a slut!" said Kongu.

"I'll tell you what, Eyre," said Takua, already formulating a plan to get rid of the recruit for the rest of day, possibly the week. "I could sit out here listen to you insult my sister-friend all day long, but as it turns out, I've got a lot more important job for you to do."

"Great…" mumbled Ehrye.

"See, we've got this general," he said.

"Yeah, the general brother…" said Kongu, half catching onto Takua plan.

"Who likes to come by and make random inspections of bases. So what I'm going to have you do, is I'm going to have you go in the base, and stand right next to the flag at attention, just in case he decides to come by." It was one of Takua's more brilliant plans. Not only did it get the rookie out of the way, but kept him out of the way no matter what he wanted to do. It was as if they had an actual commanding officer giving them orders.

"When is he coming by?" asked Ehrye.

"We never sure-think," said Kongu. "It could be today, it could be a week from now."

"You want me to stand at attention for a week?" asked Ehrye, his eyes growing in disbelief.

"You know, you don't sound very grateful," said Takua, mustering up every ounce of authority he could into his voice. "This is the most important job at the whole base. You're going to be right there with the flag!"

"What's so important about the flag?" asked Ehrye, looking more confused and nervous than ever. Takua had to stop himself. For once, the rookie's stupidity had actually helped him. Takua did not have an immediate comeback for such a ridiculously stupid question.

"Ah come on," he said, trying to sound as confident as he did before. "Don't they teach you guys anything in training?"

"They didn't tell us anything about a flag," said Ehrye, now regaining his composure. "Why is it so important?"

"Because it's the flag, brother, you know…it's the flag! It's the fl…It's…Kongu! You tell him why the flag is so important!" The words flew out of his mouth before he knew he had said them. _Well, at least Kongu can bumble around for a bit while I think of a more impressive answer._

"Well…it's…it's complicated," he stuttered, slowly grasping a hold of what he was trying to say. "It's got our Akilini symbols, we live out our Akilini symbols…"

"It's just important, okay? Trust us," said Takua, sparing Kongu from saying something really stupid and nonsensical. "So when the general comes by the first thing he's going to want to do is inspect the flag."

"Right!" said Kongu.

"So just go in there," said Takua, pointing to the base. "You know, far away from us, and wait for him." As soon as the words exited his mouth, Ehrye took of for the base at a brisk jog. To Takua's displeasure, when he got about half way there, he turned back around and called out to him.

"How will I know when I see him?"

"There's only three of us out here, Akilini-head! He's the only Matoran who doesn't look like one of us," said Kongu, rolling his eyes.

"Now get in there and don't come out!" said Takua, forcing himself to keep his disk launcher lowered. When Ehrye was inside the base, he turned to Kongu. "Man, that Matoran is dumber than you are!"

"You mean he's dumber than _you_ are," he replied smirking.

"Wow Kongu…that was a great comeback," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Uh, Mr. Takua! Sir!" called Ehrye, poking his head out the door to the base.

"Mata Nui protect me," he mumbled to himself. "What?" he called out to Ehrye, then turned to Kongu and said, "Kongu, I swear. I'm going to kill him!"

"Sorry about calling your sister-friend a slut…"

"EHRYE! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY! GET IN THERE! Kongu? Are you laughing at me?" he said, as he turned around, preparing to raise his weapon.

"Excuse me sir, can I ask you a question?" said a voice from behind him. Takua flinched as he stopped himself from spinning on the spot and firing his Kanoka Disk of Teleportation at the Matoran behind him. Without spinning around, he spoke in a slow, clear voice.

"Pray to Mata Nui above, rookie. If I turn around and you are not inside, I…I can't be held responsible for what I am going to do to you!"

"What did I do?" asked the Matoran. That was the last straw for Takua. He loaded his disk launcher and started counting out loud, still facing away from the base.

"One…"

"Aw, give me a break!"

"Two!"

"Fine!"

Relaxing as the Matoran's footsteps faded away into the building, Takua stowed his launcher and turned to Kongu, a new cheer resounding in his voice.

"Well, enough gabbing out of us! Let's take this bad boy out for a spin!"

As Hafu entered the trading post, he immediately saw a Ko-Matoran, standing next to a bright white flag covered in symbols of some kind. He could not see any sign of other goods, but the sight the Matoran was more than enough to raise his spirits.

"Wow! You got here fast!" said the Matoran, straighten up.

"Why is everyone so rude in this canyon?" he asked, pausing for a moment to catch his breath.

"I'm not, sir! What can I do for you?"

"Finally," said Hafu, straightening up. "Someone with a little respect around here."

"Yes sir!" said the Matoran, also straightening his posture. "I assume you are here because of this." He pointed to flag. Hafu's spirit fell slightly. If this was the trading post, then they must have been out of stock of supplies. He had no need for the flag, but at the same time, he should at least come back with something. _I should double check to see if they keep their supplies somewhere else. They might be having a sale on these or something so that's why he's trying to get me interested in it. _

"Wait, is this all you have?"

"Uh, yes sir! That's it!"

"Ah man…this figures…Rahi droppings!" he muttered, staring at the floor. "What about elbow grease? Headlight fluid?" he asked, looking up at the Ko-Matoran.

"Umm…no! All we have is this flag!"

"Well, I can't go back empty handed. I guess I will take that," he said, and pointed at the flag.

"Sure. That makes sense…I guess," said the Ko-Matoran, and handed him the flag.

"Man, they are going to give me such a hard time for coming back with just this stupid flag…"

Takua turned to Kongu, a new cheer in his voice. Now that the rookie was gone, it was time to test drive their new vehicle.

"Let's take this bad boy out for a spin!" he said, stowing his launcher on his back. "Go ahead and hop in Kongu."

"Me? I can't drive that thing! I just operated the chutes, remember?"

"You're telling me you have no idea how to drive any kind of vehicle?" said Takua, not believing what he was hearing. It was a Ta-Matoran telling him they did not know how to make Kanohi or Kanoka Disks.

"I don't even know how to use your disk launcher. Don't you know how to drive that?"

"No! Mata Nui protect us! Who is running this army?" he called out to the sky.

"Hey! Just wanted to let you know the general stopped by and picked up the flag!" It was Ehrye calling from the base. Just the sound of his voice made Takua want to shoot something. He had no time for the idiots at command, let alone the ones in his platoon too.

"Yeah, okay! Whatever Akilini-head!" he called back, then turned his attention to Kongu and the tank. "Why would they give us a tank, if nobody here knows how to drive the blasted thing?" As he fumed over the current situation, Takua felt like shooting something, even the tank, was the only thing that was going to keep him from going insane in this canyon. Between the tank no one could drive and Ehrye going on about the general…

"Wait a second…what did he just say?" he asked Kongu. The Le-Matoran froze, a look of pure shock on his face. Without speaking, both Matoran drew their weapons and headed for the base. There were only three other Matoran in this entire canyon besides their squad, and now one of them had just taken their flag without any of them noticing. This brush with death made Takua realize that the war had finally come to the Whisper Canyon.

* * *

_Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste the link after .com in the URL. /watch?v=8ttPZ89vCUI_


	5. Chapter 5: The Kanohi is in the Open

Chapter Five

The Kanohi is in the Open

Takua stood on top of the Ice Army base, not believing what he had just been told. According to their newest recruit, a Ko-Matoran named Ehrye, the neighboring Fire Army had just robbed the Ice Army of their flag, with out any of them realizing it. Takua had been out back attempting to find some kind of owner's manual for their new tank, when the Fire Army solider had come in and taken the flag. Takua was now starting to hate the team's rookie member by the second. Not only had he allowed the Fire solider to walk right in, but also take the flag and escape, just because he asked for it.

"Let me get this straight. You gave this Matoran our flag?" he asked, not even believing what he was saying to Ehrye.

"Is that bad?"

"Bad?" exclaimed Takua, throwing his arms up in the air. "Oh no, that's not bad. Next time he comes over, why don't you just help him blow up the whole entire base?"

"There! There he is!" exclaimed Kongu pointing.

"Where?" asked Takua, readying his Kanoka Disk Launcher. "Oh yeah! Oh! I got him!" He triggered his disk launcher's zoom feature and zoomed in on the Fire Army member. There was no doubt he was their leader. Even though they had never seen the sergeant in person, they intelligence they had gathered told them he wore a solid, one color armor scheme and most likely whore a Great Hau shaped Kanohi. This intruder matched that description perfectly, and obviously would have been the only member of the Fire Army to have the skills necessary to pull off such a lofty plan. "He's sneaking around back by the cliffs," he told to Kongu, and lowered his launcher.

"He must be one ever-cleaver Matoran!" said Kongu.

"Oh Rahi droppings! Hey Kongu, look at his Kanohi. It's a Hau."

"Ah man! That must mean it's their sergeant."

"Well, that makes sense. At least now we know how he got by our defenses."

"Uh, you know. He came in the backdoor where you guys were standing," said Ehrye, poking his head between the other two Matoran.

"Yeah, okay," said Kongu, pushing Ehrye out of the way. "Well, let's take him out then."

"Roger that," said Takua, readying his launcher. He peered into the scope and zoomed in as far as he could. "Okay, say goodnight, fire-spitter." Takua then began firing, aiming directly to the Matoran's head. He fired off all four rounds, missing as the Matoran ducked out of the way. He went to reload, but found he was out of ammo.

"Oh Rahi droppings," he muttered, trying to figure out a way to play off the fact he had just missed his target completely. He turned to see Kongu, with an expression of confusion and annoyance on his mask. "What?" he snapped.

"You're _really_ not very good with that thing are you?" Takua scowled at him, and Kongu quickly turned back to their target. Takua followed his gaze to see the Matoran jumping up and down and running in small circles with the flag. "Oh great, now he's taunting us. That's just embarrassing," groaned Kongu, placing his hand over his forehead and averting his eyes from the Matoran.

"Alright, that's it. I've had it," said Takua, slamming his long-range launcher onto his back and picking up a standard launcher. "Rookie, you stay here. Me and Kongu; we'll head through the teleporter. We'll cut him off at the pass."

"Right!" said Ehrye, saluting Takua.

"Kongu, you ready? Let's go."

"There's no way I'm going through that thing," he said, taking a step back and folding his arms. The teleporter stood on top of the base, facing towards the center of the canyon. It glowed and pulsed a pale green color, and gave off a low hum. It seemed to always be on, though its power source was somewhat of a mystery to the Matoran, as they could not find any wiring or signs of wiring leading away from it.

"Kongu, we don't have time for this. Why would they give us a teleporter if it doesn't work?"

"I don't know. Why would they give us a tank that no one can drive?"

"We already tested the teleporter remember?" said Takua, starting to get annoyed.

"We threw rocks through it!"

"Yeah and so what? The rocks came out the other side, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but they all hot and covered with black stuff."

"Oh, so I guess that's what this is all about then: You're afraid of a little black stuff?"

"Yes, I am. I fear-dread black stuff."

Takua sighed, and readied his launcher. "Kongu, I almost hate to do this to you."

"You wouldn't," said Kongu, not so much as flinching.

"You know I look at it this way: Either "A," we go through there and get the flag back, or "B," we stay here and I get to freeze, weaken, shrink, teleport, or remolecularize you. Either way, I win."

"For the record, I want you to know, rocks aren't Matoran."

"Duly noted," said Takua smiling. "Now get in there." His attitude quickly returned to serious as he began to focus on their mission.

"Oh Mata Nui protect us!" he exclaimed. "Alright," he said, readying himself. "One…two…" Before he could reach the count of "three," Takua shoved Kongu into the teleporter. It emitted a loud humming sound as it absorbed Kongu, then flashed quickly as Kongu disappeared before returning to its original green glow and hum. Takua and Ehrye ran around to the front of the base and peered out at where the exit point was, about halfway down the length of the canyon. After several seconds, Ehrye spoke to Takua.

"Huh…he didn't come out the other side," he said, rubbing the bottom of his mask as if he was in deep thought.

"Yeah…I've uh, I've decided I'm _not_ going to use the teleporter," said Takua. After a slight paused, Takua snapped into action. He jumped down from the top of the base to ground below, preparing his disk launcher as he fell to the ground. As he hit the ground, he rolled and called back up to Ehrye. "Okay Ehrye, you stay here! I'll be back with the flag!" He took off running towards the Fire Army's sergeant. _I am so not going to be reporting this to command._

* * *

"I still have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't hear any shots," said Nuhrii, staring at Jala. Jala sighed.

"I'm telling you: It was four shots. Like Bam! Bam! Bam!" he said, peering through his disk launcher's scope.

"Wait a second, that's only three 'Bams,'" said Nuhrii.

"Bam," said Jala, glaring at Nuhrii. He turned his attention back to the canyon, trying to find the source of the shots. "Wait a second, we got a Ice Matoran on the move out there." Sure enough, a light blue, Pakari wearing Matoran was barreling across the hills, heading directly for their base.

"Where's he headed?" asked Nuhrii, trying to also peer through the launcher's scope.

"Oh Mata Nui," said Jala, then did a double take. A tan Matoran was jumping up and down, as if trying to get someone's attention. "It's…it's Hafu," said Jala, not believe his own sound receptors. "And he's got something." He zoomed in on their fellow Matoran. "It looks like…"

Jala felt like every bit of joy had been drained from his body as he saw Hafu, running around with no less than the enemy's flag. He had to clench his launcher as tight as he could to keep calm. Quickly as the feeling had come over him, he regained his composure and turned to Nuhrii, a new authority filling his voice. "Nuhrii, get the Vako."

"You mean the Muaka?" chuckled Nuhrii, stowing his launcher.

"Yeah, keep making jokes," said Jala, stowing his own launcher and heading for the base's garage. "That will win the war."

As the two Ta-Matoran headed for the garage, Jala knew that today was not only the first day with the team's new rookie, but the first day of the battle for the Canyon of Unending Whispers.

* * *

_Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste the link after .com in the URL._ _/watch?v=OyJFcz_KqeI_


	6. Chapter 6: 1:21 GigaWhats?

Chapter Six

1.21 Giga-What's?

"Freeze!" said Takua, pointing his disk launcher at the Fire Army's sergeant. To Takua's surprise, it had actually been easy for him to track down the Fire Army's sergeant and corner him in the canyon's cliffs. Now all he had to do was get him to hand over the flag before Fire Army reinforcements arrived. To do that, he was going to need to be as tough as a Rock Lion, and twice as stubborn.

"Hey! Why in the name of Mata Nui were you shooting at me? You could have hit me Akilini-head!" said the tan colored Matoran, dropping the flag to the ground and pulling out his own launcher.

"Can it! Don't try and play stupid with me Sergeant," he said, loading his weapon. "I know who you are. We've been spying on you for several months now."

"I just got here two hours ago, and I'm not a sergeant. I'm a private."

"Wait, you're not the sergeant," said Takua, lowering his weapon and taking a better look at the Matoran.

"Yeah, that's what I just said," said the tan Matoran.

"Well then how in Karzanhi did you manage to steal our flag?"

"Steal? I have no idea what you are talking about," said the tan Matoran, peering from out behind his launcher.

"Three!"

"Mata Nui!" cried Takua.

"Great Temple of Ga-Metru! Who is this guy?" asked the tan Matoran.

In a bright flash, Kongu had suddenly appeared covered in some kind of black residue from seemingly out of nowhere. He quickly turned around, and seeing the Fire Army Matoran, pulled out his weapon.

"What in Karzanhi? Kongu? Is that you?" asked Takua, lowering his weapon.

"How did you get up here ahead of me?" asked Kongu, turning to Takua.

"And what's with all that black stuff on your armor?" asked the tan Matoran.

"Hey! Freeze fire-sergeant!" said Kongu, turning back to the Ta-Matoran.

"Would you stop calling me a sergeant? I'm still just a private!" said the tan Matoran.

"The fire-spitter's sergeant is still a private?" said Kongu, a look of utter confusion on his face. "Oh…my…Great…Spirit! The teleporter sent me back in time!"

* * *

As Jala climbed into the driver's seat of the Vako, he turned to Zadakh. The Fire Army's mechanic seemed somewhat upset, though it was hard to read its expressionless face as Jala tried talking to it.

"Sorry Zadakh. We need the ground transport."

"I'll take gunner," said Nuhrii, and climbed into the turret mounted on the back of the vehicle. After making some small adjustments, he called to Jala. "Let's roll." Jala started up the vehicle, which roared to life and began playing loud, Le-Matoran music.

"How do you turn off the radio in this thing?" he asked, trying to find a knob or button that would shut it off.

"Don't worry Zadakh! I'll bring her back in one piece," called Nuhrii as the two Matoran took off towards Hafu.

* * *

"Look, I know you don't know me, but you have to believe what I am about to tell you," said Kongu, speaking as calmly as he could. "Sometime in your future, I get stationed here in this canyon and we meet, and this guy here; he gets promoted to the sergeant of the Fire Army and we spy on them, and they get this new ground transport and I'm all like 'There is now way you can pick up water-sisters in a tank!'"

"Kongu…what in the name of Karzanhi are you babbling about?" said Takua, looking utterly dumbstruck at Kongu.

"I know this all sounds crazy, but he eventually becomes a sergeant, and then one day we get a tank, and he comes and steals our flag when we're distracted!"

"Has this guy taken a few too many disks to his head?" asked the tan Matoran.

"Tan: Shut up. Kongu, listen to me. You haven't gone back in time, okay? This is the Matoran who stole the flag, he's just not the sergeant," said Takua, slowly getting louder. "Turns out, he's just some dumb rookie who happens to have a Great Hau. He got in somehow and FOR THE LOVE OF MATA NUI! WHAT IS THAT MUSIC?"

"Wahoo!"

"Mata Nui protect us!" said the tan Matoran, ducking behind a rock.

"Spawn of a Makuta! Run!" said Takua, and he began running towards an outcropping on the canyon wall. "Run! For the love of Lhikan! Run!"

"The ground transport followed me back in time!" said Kongu, following Takua. The two Matoran leaped behind a large rock, and huddled against it as the Fire Army peppered it with Rhotuka Spinners. Kongu looked at Takua, waiting for him to start laying out a brave battle plan or ingenious strategy to get them home safe.

"Well, we'll just wait here. That thing's got to run out of energy sometime."

* * *

"That's right! That's what I'm talking about!" said Nuhrii, as he opened fire on the two Ice Army soldiers. Jala hopped out of the car and ran over to Hafu, who was crouching behind a rock, holding the flag in one hand and his Kanoka Disk Launcher in the other.

"What in Karzanhi going on here?" asked Jala.

"You know what? I honestly have no idea what's going on!" said Hafu. "I think everyone in this canyon is absolutely insane!"

"How did you get the flag?" asked Jala.

"I don't know. I just asked for it!"

"Wait, that worked?"

"I guess. Is it not supposed to?"

"I don't know. We never even thought to try that," said Jala, more to himself than anyone. "Just take the flag to the base. I'll explain there."

"Not until someone tells me what in the Great Temple…"

"There's no time to explain rookie! Just take the flag and go to base! I'll explain everything there!" he was getting frantic, knowing that the Ice Army could be preparing an offensive as they were speaking.

"Fine," said Hafu, and picked up the flag and took off for the base.

Jala turned to Nuhrii, who was still firing Rhotuka spinners at the rock that the two Ice Army Matoran were hiding behind.

"Yeah I know you like that! Come out where I can get you! Come on out! I know you're in there!" He turned back to the rookie, who was running off in the opposite direction.

"Back to our base Akilini-head!" he called, no believing their new recruit's stupidity.

"I know! I just got turned around, that's all!" he called, and turned around and started running towards the Fire Army's base.

* * *

Ehrye stood on top of the base, watching the events unfold. After Kongu, Takua and the Fire Army's sergeant had all met at the center of the canyon, a large vehicle had come barreling over the hills and started shooting Rhotuka Spinners at Takua and Kongu, forcing them to retreat behind a large rock on the side of the canyon for cover.

"Oh Mata Nui protect us! That is not good," he cried, watching the events unfold through the scope of a long-range launcher. "Oh Great Spirit above that thing's got a really big launcher!" As the Fire Army's sergeant began to retreat towards their base, Ehrye knew he had to take action. He frantically began looking around for ideas, and then saw the Ice Army's tank. Though he did not know the first thing about driving any kind of vehicle, he had seen several manuals as his days working in the Knowledge Towers, and seen many Matoran drive through Ko-Metru and figured it couldn't be too hard to figure out. But what if he messed up? What if he could not figure out how to drive it?

"Hmm…stay here…tank? Stay here…tank? Ah, forget it," he said, and took off towards the tank.

* * *

_____Watch this episode of Red vs Blue on YouTube. Just paste the link after the .com in the URL._ /watch?v=1w1cSIZLSWs


	7. Chapter 7: Check Out the Treads

Chapter Seven

Check Out the Treads on That Tank

Takua could not think of a worst situation to be in. Right now, he was trapped behind a rock in the middle of the canyon and taking heavy fire. To add insult to injury, the Fire Army had successfully managed to get their rookie back to base safely, and two of their Matoran were now mounting a full on assault on Takua and Kongu with their ground transport's rapid firing Rhotuka Launcher. Takua did not even bother trying to peer around the corner, and instead crouched down clutching his Kanoka Disk Launcher. He had been trying to come up with a plan, but the constant noise from the Rhotuka's exploding on the rock was so loud and distracting, it was starting to give him a headache.

"Mata Nui! Doesn't that thing ever run out of energy?" he asked, jamming his hands over his sound receptors.

"You know, in past-sight we should have brought the tank."

"Hey Kongu, what good is a tank going to do us if nobody here knows how to drive it?"

"Yeah, I can see how hiding behind a rock is a much better thought-plan."

"Well, yeah…but," said Takua. He racked his brain for some kind of insult or retort, but none came. Kongu was right. They were out of options. Even if they had tried to bring the tank, who knows what could have happened? They could have gotten it stuck on rock, or blown each other up with it before they got anywhere near the Fire Army. "Oh brother…I guess I got to give that one to you." All they could do was sit and wait, and hope that the rock they were hiding behind didn't give way. Takua had failed. He had failed the army, he had failed his people, but most of all, he had failed his team, and now, they were going to pay the ultimate price for it.

* * *

Ehrye climbed into the tank's cockpit and got settled. All around him were a variety of lights, levels, switches, buttons, knobs, dials, gauges, handles and controls he could not even begin to describe. He quickly began to search for anything related to a starting mechanism. He found a button in the front that read "Ignition" and pressed it with his right hand. The vehicle hummed to life and the various lights and gauges turned on and began displaying what functions they measured. A voice suddenly came out of the speakers up front, as if a Matoran was inside the vehicle talking to him.

"Hello, and thank you for activating the M808V Main Battle Tank. You may call me Nikila."

"Hello…Nikila. Big…tank…lady," said Ehrye. The voice and named sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. Instead of asking, he just waited for what the tank was going to do or say next.

"Would you like me to run the tutorial program?" asked the tank.

"Oh! That'd be very nice! Thank you," said Ehrye relieved. Looks like all they needed to do was jump in the tank and start it to learn how to drive it. _No wonder they had just dropped it off at their base!_ He thought. _This is going to be super easy now! I'll save Takua and Kongu before they know it!_

"Tutorial program activated," said the tank. "This program is intended to instruct noncertified personal in the use of this Nui-Jaga class tank. Let's begin with some driving."

"Okay!" said Ehrye, and without warning, the some kind of rope came out of nowhere and lay across Ehrye's lap, strapping him down into the chair tightly. Before Ehrye could free himself, the tank took off, driving on its own down the length of the canyon. _Hope this doesn't take too long! Those guys need my help!_

* * *

"Nuhrii. Nuhrii!" called Jala. They had been peppering the enemy Matoran's hiding place for over two minutes now, and neither of them had come out from it or returned fire. Annoyed with their progress, Jala had decided that it was now time for them to try a new strategy. He rubbed his audio receptors as Nuhrii jumped down from the back of Vako. "Great Spirit above! That thing is loud!" he said, turning to Nuhrii.

"What?" cried Nuhrii, cupping a hand to his receptor.

"Come on. Let's sneak around the back of the rock and get them out," he said, loading a disk into his launcher.

"Okay!" shouted Nuhrii, loading a disk into his own launcher.

"Keep it down! For the love of Lhikan! Let's go, before they figure out what's going on." Jala made several motions with his hands, and Nuhrii followed his command at they crept up on the left side of the rock. _Hope your ready Ko-Matoran, _he thought. _Because after today, they will be only one army in this canyon._

* * *

Ehrye flipped and pull every level and switch he could find. During his training session, the tank had peppered him with explanations of the tank's various functions and systems, and Ehrye had tried to remember them all, but could not try and do everything at once. Now, he had managed to get the tank stuck on a large rock, and it was not helping him with getting it back onto level ground. It was almost as if the tank had just been set with a recording of a voice, rather than computer system that was actually following his moves.

"Now that you have mastered driving the M808V, let's move on to some of the safety features," said the tank.

"No, no! Wait, go back!" he said, finally finding the level he wanted. He had remembered the tank telling him it was some kind of auto correct feature, which did something to the treads. He pulled it, disabling it and found the tank much easier to control and it made more fluid movements as it drove. Looking down at his feet, he tried to remember which of the pedals drove the tank forward. "Why are there six pedals if there are only four directions?" he asked, after stepping on a pedal that caused the tank to make a horrible grinding noise.

All in all, he was slowly figuring out how to drive the tank. There were four pedals that drove the tank in a different direction; one that did nothing but make the tank slow down and a final one that made the tank make that awful grinding noise. He had decided to stop using that pedal, and just focus on the ones that made the tank drive. He pulled off the backwards pedal, rotated the cockpit around and then straightened out the tank with the level to his left. He then slammed his foot on the forward pedal and began moving towards the canyon's center. As he drove the tank towards the battle site, he hoped just the presence of the tank would be enough to scare off the Fire Army, because if it was not, then they were just as useless with it as they were without it.

* * *

Jala lead Nuhrii around to the left side of the rock where the enemy Matoran were hiding, but seemed to have come to a dead end. He had misjudged the layout of the canyon, and realized they were hiding on a slanting ledge that lead up to a small series of caves in the canyon's side walls. The wall was too steep and smooth to be able to climb and there was no telling how long it was going to take them to get back to where the two Matoran were taking cover.

"Ah Rahi droppings," he cursed, turing to Nuhrii. "I don't think we're going to be able to get around this way," he said, lowering his launcher.

"Tell me again," said Nuhrii, lowering his own launcher. "Why did we get out of the ground transport?"

"Well, I guess it was this or sit there and watch you shoot rocks all day long," said Jala, annoyed.

"Well at least that was fun," said Nuhrii, in an almost pouting sort of way.

Jala began to mime Nuhrii's last comment, but heard and the sound of an engine getting closer. He turned to see a massive vehicle pull up, with a Cordak blaster pointed straight at his face. "Mata Nui protect us! What in Po-Metru is that thing?" he said, astounded by the vehicle's sheer size. The vehicle's launcher moved back and forth between him and Nuhrii, like a vicious Rahi deciding what its next meal should be.

"Nuhrii, hold…still. I don't think it sees us," he said, remembering some Rahi were sensitive to movements. Maybe this vehicle was too. As they waited for the machine to make its move, Jala suddenly went cold, and in the middle of the desert, that could only be mean one thing. He was paralyzed with fear, and this thing had them cornered.

* * *

Takua did not know if he had gone deaf, or if the Fire Army had stopped firing. One minute, he and Kongu had been bombarded with explosions and the next minute there was silence. Opening his eyes, he looked around. There was no sign of the Ta-Matoran coming to attack him, nor was any sign they had retreated. Kongu was staring at him, a blank look on his face. Takua tried to get his attention, but the Le-Matoran seemed blind and deaf to any of his motions.

"Psst! Hey! They stopped firing!" whisper Takua, still pressing himself up against the rock.

"Why are you quiet-talking?" he asked, now looking at Takua perplexed.

"Um…I don't know."

Takua readied his launcher and made a motion to have Kongu follow him. They two Matoran ran out from behind the rock and prepared to fire, but saw no signs of the two Matoran.

"I think they retreated," he said, lowering his launcher.

"Kongu, don't be stupid. They're just trying to draw us out," he said, ducking behind a rock for cover.

"No there not, look! They left the ground transport! They're gone!"

"Well, I don't know about this. Seems pretty fishy," he said, looking around for the Ta-Matoran. But Kongu was right. The Matoran were completely gone, with no signs of them anywhere in the canyon. Stowing his launcher, he turned to Kongu. "Alright, forget it. Let's go get it." And with that, the two Matoran charged at the ground transport.


	8. Chapter 8: Don't Ph34r the Rahkshi

Chapter Eight

Don't Ph34r the Rahkshi

Nuhrii stood as still as he could as the vehicle in front of them stared both him and Jala down. It was massive, and could easily have fitted and protected a Matoran on the inside of it. It ran on four, independently moving treads and had a swiveling head on the top, fitted with a Cordak Blaster. The tank continuously moved back and forth between Nuhrii and Jala, like a carnivorous Rahi attempting to decide which of the two Matoran was going to be its next meal.

"Why is it just sitting there?" whispered Jala, not taking his eyes off of the vehicle.

"Just trying to mess with our heads," said Nuhrii through a clenched mouth. "Let's get back to the Vako."

After taking a deep breath, Nuhrii spoke again to Jala, still not taking his eyes off of the tank.

"Okay, you ready? Let's do this on three. One…"

"Wait! On three, or three and then go?"

"On three," said Nuhrii, just as calmly as before. "It's always faster to go on three."

"Okay! Okay! On three," said Jala.

"Ready? One…two…three!" Nuhrii turned to start running, and stopped as he saw that Jala had taken off early, and was already heading towards the Vako at a full sprint. "Oh, you backstabbing Makuta spawn!"

With a massive explosion, the tank suddenly fired. The rocket nearly missed Jala, making Nuhrii take cover behind a large rock. He peered out to see the tank was preparing for another attack.

"Spawn of a Makuta!" he exclaimed and began to run away from the tank as fast as he could. He caught up to Jala shortly, who utter his own curse as another rocket missed him, this one to the left. They continued to run towards their base and finally took cover behind another rocky barrier. As the two Matoran braced for another onslaught from the tank, Nuhrii turned to Jala.

"Hey, I have a great idea. Let's get out of the Vako and sneak around the back of the rock. Great plan you Akilini-head!"

Jala just shrugged and braced as yet another rocket blaster the barrier they were hiding behind. Nuhrii could not believe their situation. Here he was, stranded with his least favorite Matoran in the universe, about to die, and it was all going to be his fault. As yet another rocket blasted their shelter, Nuhrii began to plot an escape tactic, and prayed they would live long enough to use it.

"I'm going for the ground transport," said Takua, withdrawing his standard launcher. "Cover me." Kongu nodded and readied his own launcher with one of his most powerful disks: A level eight, teleportation disk from Po-Metru. Takua nodded when he was ready, and took off towards the ground transport. He panted hard as he ran towards the vehicle, his eyes fixed on the Fire Army's latest weapon. When he was just barely a bio away, the vehicle suddenly exploded.

"Spawn of a Makuta!" he cried, and ducked to avoid the vehicle from landing on him.

He quickly traced the source of the explosion to of all things, their tank. As the tank began to make its way down the canyon, Takua decided he was done taking chances, and began to run back to where Kongu was still hiding out. He arrived within seconds, still out of breath from his initial break for the vehicle, on top of the adrenaline caused by his near stroke with death.

"Hey brother," said Kongu eagerly. "Their ground transport blew up!"

"No kidding!" said Takua, an air of sarcasim in his voice. "Thanks for the update, Kongu!" The two turned to watch as the tank continued to make its way down the canyon, firing at the two Fire Army soldiers. Takua marveled at the tank's destructive power, and was glad its first victim was not going to be him. As the two Ta-Matoran ducked behind a rock for shelter, Takua pulled out his upgraded launched to take a closer look at the tank. To his shock, he could see Ehrye's head through the metal meshing near the center of the tank. He was driving the tank! It was Ehrye who had figured out how to drive it. _Maybe this new Matoran isn't as dumb as we thought, _thought Takua excitedly.

"Hey Kongu!" said Takua, motioning him over. "Look at this, brother! It's the rookie, and he brought the tank out to scare off the fire-spitters!"

"What? No way!" said Kongu, peering through Takua's scope.

"Hey Ehrye! Good job brother! Why didn't you tell us you knew how to drive the tank?"

As Ehrye looked at the two Ta-Matoran in front of him, he began to wonder what his next course of action should be. He had the basics of driving the tank down, but it was still trying to tell him about some boring safety features and something about a friendly fire being disabled. He paid no attention to it, thinking that the fire-spitters weren't friendly, so why should he have to worry about that feature being disabled. Instead, he began searching for anything that would let him fire the tank's weapon, and possibly take out the Ta-Matoran where they stood. He found a button on the dash that read, "Skip" and pressed it. The tank's recording seemed to suddenly cut off, and start a completely new section.

"This tank is equipped with an auto-fire sequence that can be activated by pressing the 'Auto-Fire Button'," said the tank's recording.

"Auto-fire…auto-fire," mumbled Ehrye as he searched for the button. "Here! Here! Okay that's more a switch than a button," he mumbled as he pressed a button near the left most level in the cock pit. The tank continued to talk about more unrelated safety features, so Ehrye continued his search. Finally, he found the button and pressed it. "Here!"

"Tutorial deactivated. Auto-fire sequence activated," said the tank. "Acquiring target." Ehrye felt the controls move in his hands, though it seemed as if the tank itself was now in control. The tank's massive head moved in the direction of one of the fleeing Ta-Matoran. There was a loud beeping noise, and the tank's head began to follow the Matoran's every move. "Target acquired. Firing main cannon."

With a tremendous explosion, the tank fired one of Cordak rounds at the Ta-Matoran. It missed, zooming just over his shoulder and hit the Ta-Matoran's vehicle, sending it flying through the air in a barrel roll. The tank then adjusted its cannon, and locked onto the Ta-Matoran again.

"Firing main cannon."

Again, the cannon fired, releasing a deafening roar of sound as it aimed for the Ta-Matoran. Missing him again, the tank roared to life and began to pursue the Ta-Matoran down the cannon, firing as quickly as it could. It let off several more rounds before coming to a stop roughly a hundred feet from a rock on the Fire Army's side of the canyon. The tank's cockpit swiveled back and forth, and then centered itself.

"All targets eliminated," said the tank. "Acquiring new target."

The tank's turret swung slowly to the left and up. From its cockpit, Ehrye could see Takua and Kongu standing on the canyon's ledge, looking down at him. Takua cried out in excitement, jumping up and down and waving his launcher.

"Hey rookie, good job man! Why didn't you tell us you knew how to drive the tank?" he called, leaning over the cliff.

"New target acquired," said the tank, and spun so it faced Takua directly.

"That's not a target. That's Takua," said Ehrye, waving at the Matoran from his cockpit.

"Yeah, that's right, it's me, Takua! What's going on, brother?" he asked, smiling down the Ko-Matoran from the cliff.

"Target locked," said the tank, and a high pitch noise emitted from the console.

"What? No. Target unlock. Unlock!" said Ehrye, activating every control he could reach to try and stop the tank. "Please help me nice Ga-Matoran!"

"Firing main cannon," said the tank in reply.

"Uh oh…"

"What?" called Takua, and then he froze, and expressionless look on his mask. "Oh, spawn of a Ma…"

With a thunderous roar, the tank fired again, and blasted Takua high into the air. Ehrye and Kongu watched helplessly as he landed back on the ledge with a sickening THUD!

"Auto-fire sequence deactivated," said the tank, and Ehrye scrambled out. He ran full speed and reached the top of cliff in record time. Kongu was there, covered from mask to toe in a black residue. He had rolled Takua onto his back and was holding his hand.

"Great Spirit above! Takua, are you okay? Talk to me, Takua!" Kongu turned around and glared at Ehrye, a wicked malice in his eyes. "You shot Takua, you team-killing Zyglak!"

Before Ehrye could respond, Takua spoke. His eyes were half open, and he was looking blankly upwards. His breaths came in shallow spurts, and his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Kongu...Kongu…"

"Takua! It's going to be okay, brother."

"No. Ah... I'm not…I'm not gonna make it." He turned and looked Kongu directly in the eyes, speaking even softer than before. "Kongu, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I just want you to know, I always hated you. I always hated you the most."

"Yeah, I know you did," said Kongu, dropping his hand and standing up. He glared back down at Takua, a taste of disgust in his voice. "Now hurry up and die, you Kuma."

"Okay." With a final noise that sounded like he had gotten water in his lungs, Takua's eyes closed and he stopped breathing. Ehrye lowered his head and stowed his launcher. Kongu followed his lead, and the two Matoran sat in silence at the feet of their fallen friend. The war had finally claimed its first victim.


End file.
